The Faker and the Clone
by Wiser Guy
Summary: "There is no rule that an imitation cannot surpass the original!" A different Shirou, who already has Arturia as his familiar, summons Mordred as his Servant for the 5th Holy Grail War.
1. The Summoning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Fate/Apocrypha**

Shirou Emiya's mental to-do list on the Holy Grail War:

Large flat metal cylinder made from covering seven swords I forged myself with molten silver and then engraved with a summoning circle – check

Have **that** scabbard inside of me to act as a regent to summon a hero from Arthurian legend – check

Be located in a forest in England when summoning to get a legend bonus – check

Take measures to ensure that Clock Tower or other magi won't figure out what I'm doing – check

Have Saber(Arturia Pendragon) present and ready just in case things go wrong – check

Perform the Servant summoning ritual at midnight while it is not raining –

Negotiate with summoned Servant –

Get out of England as soon as possible and return to Fuyuki –

Win Holy Grail War –

…I think I'm skipping ahead a bit. Regardless, it is finally time to summon my Servant for the 5th Holy Grail War. As I stood in front of the engraved cylinder on the ground, I began chanting the incantation.

_"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. Hear me in the name of our great teacher, the Archmagus Schweinorg._

_The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate._

_Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill)._

_Repeat every five times._

_Simply, shatter once filled._

_I announce._

_Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate rest in thy blade. _

_In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer._

_Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead._

_You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!"_

I can feel my magic circuits beginning to burn my body as the summoning circle glows a bright red, until it is too bright to see for an instant. After my eyes adjust, I can finally see the Servant I have summoned. For whatever reason she is currently impaled by a spear in her side, with blood beginning to leak out of the wound and down her armor . Her face looks just like Arturia's, although the silver armor she is wearing is different, the dress underneath the armor is red instead of blue, she doesn't have an ahoge and-

***SPLORCH!***

She just ripped the spear out of her, blood spilling out onto the summoning circle and ground, yet a grin slowly forms on her face as her wound and the hole in her armor begin to close. She turns her head to gaze upon the spear and-

Now that I've taken a look at it, I believe that spear she is holding is Rhongomyniad, a weapon that belonged to King Arthur, although it seems to have been altered with the addition of two short double-edged blades at the base of the spearhead that are perpendicular to the spear's shaft, giving it a passing similarity to a spetum. Since the edges of those two blades facing towards the tip of the spear are sharp and their opposite edges facing towards the shaft are dull, I am guessing that the purpose of the addition of those two protrusions seems to be giving the spear a substitute for the crossguard of a sword without impacting its penetration ability. In fact, with the meter long main blade, I felt that 'this' Rhongomyniad more closely resembled a longsword with a very long grip than a spear…An impression that proved to be accurate when she used the same Noble Phantasm that Arturia has, Invisible Air, to make the pole-arm invisible and assumed a swordsman's stance, which meant that somehow the shaft of Rhongomyniad shortened in response to…No, 'this' Rhongomyniad had its own Invisible Air bounded field, and had the ability to dematerialize the end of its shaft until the grip was of the appropriate length for a two-handed sword. I wonder if this means the Servant I summoned is a Lancer, Saber or-

"Mordred?" Arturia asked in a shocked tone.

Mordred…That makes sense, 'he' died when 'he' was impaled by Rhongomyniad, so that's a very good hypothesis as to the identity of my Servant for this Holy Grail War, even though she has a weapon that King Arthur wielded. Luckily, I know an easy way for me to find out if this is true or not. 'Masters who have made contracts with Servants have the ability to read out the status of a Servant with powers of clairvoyance', if I recall correctly, so I close my eyes and try to view my Servant's information.

Servant Class: Saber

Master: Emiya Shirou

True Name: Mordred

Sex: Female

Height / Weight: 154cm / 43kg

Alignment: Lawful Evil

While it is great to know that my second Servant is also a Saber, boasted to be the strongest of all the classes in the Holy Grail War, I do have to wonder how Arturia came to the conclusion that this Servant's name was Mordred.

Oh. Right. They killed each other, didn't they?

I finally snap out of it and look to my right and, although Arturia has drawn her own weapon and entered a combat stance, I can see the look of concern on her face. Glancing back at Mordred and seeing a twisted smile on her face, and I realize that the 'Negotiate with summoned Servant' part of my checklist is going to have a few complications.

"FATHER!" Mordred roared as she smashed her foot into the summoning circle, shattering the silver cylinder and the sound barrier as she leaped forward to launch a strike against Arturia, who dodged by jumping to the side. Mordred chased after Arturia as they went off deeper into the forest and out of my sight, but I still hear the loud clashing of steel on steel from their battle. It seemed to me that Arturia was on the defense in this fight before they left me, although I'm not sure if this is because she's holding back or Mordred is significantly stronger than her, but now is not the time to speculate. I should have spoken up before they started fighting, and it is up to me to get this problem back under control.

I glimpse at my right hand and think about using one of my recently received command seals on Mordred, but I immediately go against it. The usage of them will always be a last resort that should only be employed if a situation is truly out of hand.

Putting myself between those two, while a very appealing idea, is impractical due to how quickly they are flying though the forest, and considering the shockwave of Mordred's initial jump caused what I believe is her Prana Burst ability, I would most likely be unable to get into that position in the first place.

The third option, well, I recall that I could make my thoughts known via telepathy through the Master and Servant connection. Sure, usage of that ability was usually by accident at first, and I recall a few instances where Arturia misinterpreted hearing what I thought for something I would never say (to her face) and took it out on me in the dojo, but overall I think I've learned a lot about the technique. Such as the ability to give my Servant auditory hallucinations via telepathy. And when you consider that there are few noises more irritating than sound of fingernails scraping chalkboard, when you combine that with an angry, commanding tone you get-

**_"MY TWO SERVANTS, I ORDER YOU STOP FIGHTING IMMEDIATELY AND RETURN TO ME!"_**

A very hard to ignore order. I can hear the sounds of battle finally stop in the distance, although I don't get the impression that they're coming back towards me. I start looking through Arturia's eyes with shared perception to see that they're just a hair-trigger away from resuming their battle. I do notice, however, that Mordred has barely received any damage from the fighting, and from Mordred's vision, I can deduce that Arturia was noticeably injured before she started healing herself due to some of the blood covering her.

_"MASTER! HOW IS MY FATHER ALSO YOUR SERVANT?!"_ Mordred screamed back into my head. Fortunately, I made time to prepare what to say for the 'Negotiate with summoned Servant' part of my checklist, so I was more than ready to handle this.

_"Arturia is a Saber from the previous Holy Grail War that occurred 10 years ago. Although her abilities are restricted by her Saber class and she is still considered a Servant, I had summoned her as my familiar over a month ago. Despite the fact that I do not have a command spell to control her, we agreed that in exchange for her cooperation I would give her my wish on the Holy Grail. Do not fight her or you will force me to use a command seal."_ I explain with haste.

_"Master, are you an idiot? There's no point in keeping him as a Servant. Having the two of us as Servants will just split the power in half between us, and if I kill him you will be able to make your wish upon the Holy Grail."_ Mordred speaks with condescension. And referring to her 'father' as 'him'. Seriously, if I had a wish to make, it would be to get all this gender confusion about Arturia straightened out…No, I'm pretty sure that's an impossible wish, considering that **I **am still struggling to comprehend it. Why the hell did Merlin ever think that it would be a good idea to give Arturia a penis? On second thought, I don't event want to know, and I need to stop thinking about that and get back to convincing my Servants to not kill each other.

_"You're underestimating my ability as a magus. While it is true that the rate that I can resupply you with prana during battle would be reduced, did you honestly feel lack of energy while fighting with your fath-…Arturia? You didn't even realize that Arturia was also my Servant if I can guess by your first question, and yet I managed to provide both of you with sufficient power during your...dispute. _

_As for the wish upon the Holy Grail, I have little desire for it as my wish can be achieved by my own power, but I will take measures to ensure that it does not fall into the hands of an unscrupulous magus."_ I would have said 'fall into the wrong hands', but considering her Lawful Evil alignment, that might have not gone over so well.

_"Master, you don't need my father's help at all to win! You can see that I am already far better than him, so just leave everything to me!" _She exclaims.

…Fine then, but even if we don't need Arturia's help, we just won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

_"Very well. Arturia can store huge amounts of power in reserve and has C-Rank Independent Action which will allow her to fight normally without me providing prana to her for an extended period of time. This means I can concentrate on giving you all of the prana I can produce during combat, and Arturia will be relatively unaffected by this. Therefore, you can be responsible for fighting all of the Servants, and Arturia will only serve as my bodyguard. If we go by this plan you won't have to concern yourself about keeping me safe so you can focus entirely on your battles. Is that fair?"_

I once again looked through Arturia's eyes to see the expression on Mordred's face. She gave a look of contemplation, a sigh, and then a bright grin.

_"Alright, then it's a deal. I'll let my father watch how much I've surpassed him. Now, tell me where our enemies are so I can go ahead and vanquish them!"_

I'm beginning to get the distinct impression that this will be a long night. At the very least, the "Get out of England as soon as possible and return to Fuyuki" part of my checklist should be relatively easy.

* * *

I couldn't keep calling my two Servants Arturia and Mordred if I want to keep their identities a secret, so I decided that henceforth Arturia will go back to being 'Saber' and Mordred will assume the codename of 'Falchion'. Of course, Falchion vehemently objected to being the one with the codename, but frankly I'm used to calling Saber by her class name. She finally settled down after I admitted that while it might be an act of favoritism that I chose Falchion to have a codename, it was definitely an act of favoritism that I chose the codename 'Falchion' since it is my favorite type of sword, and it is by no means an insult that I chose it for her.

Still, the travel by plane back to Fuyuki was uncomfortable. It wasn't the ride, it was just the thought of being right in the middle of two heroic spirits that are mortal enemies while on an easily destroyed plane that is currently several kilometers off the ground made me a tad paranoid.

Because we're stuck in this plane for the next few hours, I should take the time and apologize to Saber if she thinks that I am dismissing her role to that of a mere bodyguard.

_"There is no need for that, Master. I understand that you decided to make a few concessions in your agreement that I was inferior to Falchion."_ Saber stated in an irritated tone, as she picked through her airline meal in an unusually slow pace.

Damn it, I'm using telepathy by mistake again. I really did think I made progress with that. _"Wait, does Falchion know?"_

_"I do not think so, rather, I am beginning to believe that it is the nature of our contract that allows you to easily…and accidentally share your thoughts with me." _Saber speaks into my mind. _"You should not have to worry about her reading your thoughts by accident."_

_"Now if only I could get you out of my head, I'd be set." _I reply.

Saber turns to be and gives me a look of disappointment. _"Considering that your Servant was the one who betrayed and killed me, and the occasional 'experiments' involving me that you feel necessary to perform, I believe I am entitled to this assurance that you will not deceive me."_

_"For the last time, it was very important to know if extremely spicy food could be used to incapacitate a Servant!"_ I respond while sighing.

"I'm going to go take a nap or the jet lag is going to be a pain. Please wake me up when we get to our destination." I politely ask, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Of course, Master. It is good to see that at least you have confidence in my ability to do menial tasks." Saber responds while still giving me a begrudging look.

I decide it's not worth arguing with her further on this matter, so I'll use self-hypnosis to quickly send myself to sleep. Perhaps after a good snooze I can think up of a way to make it up to her, but in the mean time I'll try and focus on getting my two Servants to not kill each other.

* * *

_…Defeated in single combat, Mordred collapsed while still impaled by Rhongomyniad._

_"Never remove that helmet before other people." Morgan le Fey had ordered._

_Freed from that mask his mother forced on him, and with a face identical to Arturia exposed, he said,_

_"…Fa-ther,"_

_He reached out to touch the King with his blood-soaked hands at least once, but not even that wish was granted as he fell._

* * *

After leaving the airport in the morning, I decided to walk home. While I could certainly afford a taxi ride, it's a beautiful day for a stroll, even though the weather is cold enough to make my breath white.

It is only a minute into our walk when Falchion starts hovering in front of me and asks _"Master, can you do something for me?"_

Considering our fragile alliance, I'm not sure if I'm in any position to deny her requests. _"Name it."_ I reply.

_"Buy me some clothes." _

…Now I'm curious.

_"Shouldn't you be able to wear one of Saber's outfits? And why would you even need them? Isn't it nice to be able to fly around like that?"_

_"Master, I don't want to put on THOSE clothes my father is wearing. And it is not nice to be able to fly around, this spirit body makes me uneasy, and I need my feet on the ground to keep my composure." _

Well, I thought that the white collared shirt with a ribbon, blue skirt, and long black socks looked good on Saber, but it's not like I'm terribly concerned about saving money, so I decide to relent.

_"Fair enough. We'll head on down to ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ and after that we can ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ there if you want." _

"Master, ▅▅▅ ▅▅▅ feeling well?" Saber inquired. I ▅▅ not okay ▅ ▅▅, but ▅▅▅ ▅ nothing she can do, ▅▅ I shouldn't ▅▅ ▅▅ bother her.

"▅▅▅n't worry,▅▅ ▅▅▅ ▅ headache. ▅▅ be fine." I lied. ▅▅▅▅▅ can't read ▅▅ thoughts ▅▅▅▅ now, so I ▅▅ get away ▅▅▅ ▅▅▅.

_"▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅"_

* * *

I awoke in my bed gripping a penny knife I made myself. It's nighttime, but I check my wristwatch, and I find that this time I'm only missing yesterday's memories after we decided to go clothes shopping.

No, I'm not missing those memories. They aren't there, because they were never made, so I can never retrieve them.

I don't know exactly what this condition is or the cause of it, but I remember my failed attempts to deal with this. I couldn't even rely on what I wrote in my diaries because there was NOTHING I would recall from reading them, and I couldn't trust myself to be honest in them.

It was by chance that I found a workaround, as I had noticed while looking over one of my cooking knives that I could recall making a meal while using it during one of the memory gaps. I had discovered that bladed weapons can be used to take in and collect the thoughts of its owners, so I would keep at least a knife on me whenever possible so that I could store those memories outside my head and retrieve them later.

With the experience I gained from those outside recordings, I was able to figure out when I would stop making memories, which was both good and bad. While I would be able to figure out that I needed to start recording my memories to a knife, at times I…**They** would go into an existential crisis, like believing that **they** would disappear after I got back into control.

It doesn't matter, and **they** don't matter. I don't care if the cost of saving someone is being erased from existence…No, I don't need to confirm my convictions right now.

What I really need to figure out is why Falchion is asleep in my bed. I still have my clothes and she is wearing a t-shirt and boxers, so I believe nothing serious happened at least. However, I'm pretty sure I vehemently opposed Saber's clumsy seduction attempts by trying to sleep in my room, so it doesn't make sense that she would be able to convince me to-

_Don't worry, I'll only kill you if you treat me like a woman._

I can see from the memories stored in the knife, I was far more afraid of Falchion's wrath than dealing with her attempts at seducing me. In addition, Mordred did rebel when Arturia denied Mordred the throne, so it's a not a good idea to deny Falchion access to my bed. Therefore, I should stop fretting over that decision and-

_So, it appears my Master is unaware of his perversions._

Worry if I accidentally grope her in my sleep.

This is going to be another long night.

* * *

I woke up much later in the morning than my usual 5:30 time inside my undecorated room, most likely due to the uncomfortable atmosphere last night, and I thank that I can wake up anytime now since I am 'self-employed' instead of attending my second year of high school. To be honest, I did like attending school, but I'm never going to settle down with an ordinary job, especially if I already have the means to discreetly acquire large amounts of wealth, and I need to focus on my magical studies.

Falchion had already left my bed, so I decide to finally 'download' the memories I've stored on my knife. Although it's better to not overexert myself by thinking about all the memories that I took in, I look over the highlights of what I have recorded, all of which involve Falchion. It seems that Falchion has completely disregarded my abilities as a magus other than being able to provide her with prana, not that I blame her considering how little talent I have in magic outside of formalcraft(also known as 'thaumaturgy for dummies'), which I can't use much of due to it requiring knowledge that I don't have. Falchion also claimed that when I summoned her, my 'perversions' caused her to gain some weight somehow, though in reality I'm almost certain it's a reflection on how much I screwed up when I first summoned Saber as my familiar. I did note that Falchion did not eat or drink anything yesterday, as I assumed that if she wanted to do so, she would ask, and she certainly isn't shy when it comes to making requests.

Falchion did seem interested in the fact that Saber was training me in swordsmanship, and wanted to spar with me later today, but first I'll need to put some clothes on and eat breakfast. Considering I need to get used to it, I take off my clothes and pick out my underwear in addition to one of the dozen sets of my protective clothing. Each set has chainmail concealed between two layers of Kevlar, and are colored to resemble a black long sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans, so it won't be immediately spotted as suspicious while wearing it. The chainmail itself is the special part, however, as each of the tiny links were made from swords I had crafted myself. Every link was checked several times by using reinforcement magic to fill the gaps in its structure, and then reforged to manually close the gaps I found within it to make them as strong as physically possible. Since the links are so small, they don't hinder my movement at all other than their weight, so it's the best concealable armor I am able to make.

"You know that body armor isn't going to be of any use against a Servant." Falchion chided from behind me. "And it won't save you from the magical attacks that an enemy Master could use."

"Perhaps, but it is better than no protection at all." I reply, as I start to wonder how Falchion snuck up behind me without me noticing.

And then I remembered that I'm not wearing clothes right now. Alright, keep cool, don't embarrass yourself and-

I panicked as I quickly put on my boxers, grabbed my shirt and pants, and ran out of my room and into the bathroom, then locked the door and fell back on it. Fortunately, Saber seems to have not 'forgotten' to lock the bathroom door this time while taking a bath, so I have a moment to-

"Why did you run off like that?" Asked Falchion as she materialized in the room and gave me a curious look.

I'm never going to have a moment of peace, aren't I? Falchion's spiritual body can pass through walls, so she can essentially go to where I am at any time.

I tried to calm myself down, until I notice that she's wearing a pair of daisy dukes, a tube top, and short black socks; an attire which is making it very hard to not see her as a woman. While I'm sure that her hatred of being called a woman would make this ironic, I'm pretty sure bringing up the subject would lead to a messy death. As well as telling her my honest opinion on why I just ran away from her.

"Well…I…Erm…Um…I'm not really awake yet, and you surprised me?" I weakly respond, as I try to put on a smile.

"Humph. So this is what your month of training with my father has amounted to? You must be pathetic." Falchion noted as she looked down on me with a frown, although after thinking about that comment I now put on a genuine grin.

"Funny, I'd thought you'd say that Saber was just a poor teacher." I chuckle as I put my clothes on, but I see that Falchion's face is now flushed.

"Er, that might be the case, it's just it could be that…you're still lazy, so…I'll talk to you about this later." Falchion stutters out before turning into spirit form and leaving the room.

...Well, that could have gone better. Then again, it could have gone far worse, so I'll count this as a victory. Thinking about it though, why do I consider my own Servants to be the greatest threats to my life?

* * *

After finally getting around to making and eating breakfast, I went into the dojo for the morning sparring session (The reason the sparring session is in the morning is because it usually takes until the early afternoon until I recover from Saber's merciless beatings). The dojo itself has some bounded fields to prevent loud noises (frequently from my cries of pain) and prana from leaking outside, as well as some fields to prevent damage to the dojo from the fights within.

For fighting, I had the pleasure to make several dull metal swords for Saber's use. Granted, we could have just agreed to not use magic and fight each other with shinai, but I figured I needed to learn how to use reinforcement magic while fighting, so we needed swords that wouldn't break with a single swing. As for me, I wear black fingerless chainmail 'materialization' gauntlets to these practice sessions. They differ from my chainmail body armor as instead of each link being focused on providing protection, they are instead used to store a sword in a way similar to the storage of Black Keys of the Church. By passing my prana through a link in the chainmail, it will materialize the sword in my hand, and quite a few of these swords are the dull swords I use in these practice sessions. My style is to duel-wield dao (although I believe the type of dao would be called falchions as well) since it's awkward to throw swords otherwise, and I just focus on survival as I seriously doubt I could compete with any Servant for long.

As an example, Falchion didn't exactly understand that our sparring session was for my improvement, assumed that this 'duel' we agreed to was an attempt to impress her, and promptly cracked my head open less than a second after the match began and knocked me out for an hour.

"Shouldn't you have known that there is an unspoken rule in sparring to NOT KILL YOUR OPPONENT?" I ask Falchion while we leave the dojo.

"Hey, you got better, didn't you?" Falchion weakly responded from behind me. I don't bother turning around to look at her; I just want to focus on making lunch, so I head straight into the kitchen.

"I am never going to practice with you again." I reply with disdain as I start cooking lunch.

"Yes, I believe that is for the best." Saber happily agreed. I can see her beaming as she sits down at the table, most likely content with the fact that she is the only one allowed to work out their frustrations on me.

Falchion didn't come into the living room, so after I finished cooking, I brought the food over to the table and sat down to-

* * *

I was walking Sakura back to her home when I came back into control. Nothing of note happened in that time according to my knife, as Falchion did not eat dinner along with me, Saber and Sakura. It really does seem that Falchion will not eat any food, which is good considering that I had to buy another refrigerator to deal with how much Saber eats.

I check through Saber's eyes to observe that she is standing guard at my house, and through Falchion's I can see that she is nearby, using a pair of black roller shoes she bought yesterday and A-Ranked Riding skill in her parkour (Do I even want to know how that works? …Yes, I want to see her try rocket-powered roller skates sometime.).

The reason I am escorting Sakura Matou is because she is a possible Master in this Holy Grail War. I know that she is a magus, and I am sure that by calling Arturia 'Saber' that she's figured out that I am a Master, but I am glad that she still trusts me enough to look after her. Granted, Shinji, Zouken, or a hired representative could be the Matou Master of this war, but I won't confront her about this. Sakura would be a valuable hostage someone could use to extort me and/or the Matou, so I'll need to ensure her safety in order for me to have peace of mind…Well, I won't have peace of mind until I figure out why exactly Sakura is suffering so much. I did give Sakura an ordinary pocket knife for her to keep, and while I can't retrieve a coherent thought from that knife, I know she is in pain, which is something I plan to address before this war is over.

I dropped off Sakura at her mansion and exchanged meaningless goodbyes, and I begin my first nighttime patrol of the city. Falchion zips over to me once we are out of sight of the mansion and starts traveling in circles around me. Falchion's wearing her red jacket now, and it seems she's going fast enough that the air is blowing it and her hair around like a powerful wind. She does have a look of boredom on her face, so I decide that now's a good time for a conversation as any since I won't accidentally communicate my thoughts to Saber when she's so far away.

"Hey, Falchion, did I ever mention to you why Saber will be guarding my home unless we're in battle?" I ask, as I could honestly have explained it before and forgotten.

"Yeah, you said something about having trouble providing him energy, so he has to eat and rest in order to compensate, and he can get to anywhere in Fuyuki city within a few minutes so it's not a problem for him to guard your workshop." Falchion answers in a casual manner as she comes to a stop and starts walking by my side. I really wish Falchion would stop referring to Arturia as a male though, even if she is her 'father figure', but I won't let that distract me. The important thing to know is that Falchion is not asking why-

No, the important thing to know is that my command spell engraved on my right hand is hurting, which indicates the presence of a nearby enemy Master. I stretch my senses out, and I get the feeling that the Master is waiting ahead of us.

_"Saber! Come to me now!"_ I order telepathically as I come to a halt.

"Master, what's wrong?" Falchion asks with…enthusiasm? She's already materialized her armor, and she has a slight grin on her face.

"An enemy master." I reply shakily. At least she's better prepared than I am. Even after the brutal training Saber has put me through, I'm shivering in panic at the thought of putting my life on the line.

"Heh, can't wait for me to see me in action, right?" Falchion chuckled as she misinterpreted my fear for excitement.

No, its not just fear I'm feeling, as I am not just wondering what could go wrong. My curiosity is getting the better of me, and my mind is overwhelmed by thinking of all the things that could happen next. But I know Falchion is strong, so I don't need to worry about losing. This battle will just be a stepping stone to my path to victory.

"Yes, Falchion, I want to see the fruits of my labor, so show me your strength." I reply after regaining my composure and putting on my materialization gauntlets.

It's true that I do want to see how well I have prepared for this war.

I had strengthened my body, prepared my mind, and studied my magic.

To provide as much prana to Falchion as I can, I will use my magic circuits to their fullest, which will produce a tremendous amount of heat. I must use self-hypnosis to ensure that my will won't falter to the pain of the temperature, and I must reinforce my body's thermoregulation in order to ensure I won't cook myself to death. To do these three things at once, I will need to say an incantation to convince myself that it is possible, so I speak the words that describe who I am.

"My body is made of blades. My mind is steel and my circuits are fire."

* * *

**Servant Stats**

Saber

Servant Class: Saber

Master: Emiya Shirou

True Name: Arturia Pendragon

Sex: Female

Height / Weight: 154cm / 43kg

Alignment: Lawful Good

Strength: B

Endurance: B

Agility: C

Mana: A

Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: A++

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: A

Riding: B

Personal Skills:

Independent Action: C

Charisma: B

Instinct: A

Prana Burst: A

Noble Phantasms:

Invisible Air: (Anti-Unit) C

Excalibur: (Anti-Fortress) A++

* * *

Falchion

Servant Class: Saber

Master: Emiya Shirou

True Name: Mordred

Sex: Female

Height / Weight: 154cm / 43kg

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Strength: A+

Endurance: A

Agility: B

Mana: A+

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: A++

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance: A-

Riding: A

Personal Skills:

Battle Continuation: C++ (This skill is effectively at C-Rank, but the power of this skill triples after dying and allows for one to make a single last attack. This skill represents the fact that, due to being bound by a strong curse, Mordred gave Arturia a fatal wound when she swung her sword right after her death.)

Instinct: B

Prana Burst: B+

Noble Phantasms:

Rhongomyniad: (Anti-Unit) C

Rhongomyniad: (Anti-Army) C+

Clarent Blood Arthur: (Anti-Fortress) A++

* * *

**OMAKE**

I thought the 'Get out of England as soon as possible and return to Fuyuki' part of my checklist would be easy.

"Get to the cockpit! GET TO THE COCKPIT!"

I thought 'What's the worst that could happen?'

"IT'S TOO LATE! LANCELOT JUST TOOK IT OVER!"

I thought I was prepared for the Holy Grail War.

"Hello, Onii-chan!"

I thought wrong.

**"▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅!"**

BERSERKERS ON A PLANE

COMING SOON TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU

* * *

**Author's notes: **I'll admit, I could have really expanded on this first chapter, but it would be a lot of telling what happened prior to the summoning of Falchion and not showing it. I have tried telling this story with the beginning being earlier in the timeline, but after writing a few false starts before giving up on them due to a mix of frustration and disinterest, I decided to skip ahead and imply and/or reveal what events have happened in the past of this alternate universe. For the most part, the only major changes to this universe are Shirou's development and self-training as a magus, so the events and setting will start off similar to the original visual novel. I did initially make changes to Shirou's personality in order for him to actually be somewhat compatible with Mordred, mostly because canon Shirou's opinion that "No matter how strong [Saber] is or how armored she is, I think it's wrong for a girl to have to fight" would get him quickly killed by Mordred's hatred of being called a woman. (Well, either that or Shirou would be gar for Mordred, but someone else can write that)

Shirou's discovery that "bladed weapons can be used to take in and collect the thoughts of its owners", is based off of the canon jewel magecraft, as it is mentioned that "people's thoughts tend to go into jewels" in the visual novel, so this particular ability has its foundations in canon.

As for Mordred/Falchion, the in-universe reason why Mordred had gained the Noble Phantasm "Rhongomyniad" and lost "Secret of Pedigree" is that, similar to how Vlad the Impaler in Fate/Extra and the one in Fate/Apocrypha barely resemble each other, this Mordred is a different incarnation of her legend compared to her Fate/Apocrypha counterpart. Arturia acted as the catalyst to summon Mordred due to Mordred's status as a clone of Arturia, and since Arturia is summoned in the form of "myself about to die", Mordred was also summoned in that form as well. Because Mordred was about to die after being freed from her helmet, but impaled on Rhongomyniad, I found it suitable to switch the two Noble Phantasms she has. I also saw fit to give Rhongomyniad its own Invisible Air passive enchantment so that Mordred could keep some of the hidden identity advantage that "Secret of Pedigree" gave, among other reasons.

The reason I decided why Mordred should not have "Secret of Pedigree" is because that since this story will be mostly told from Shirou's perspective, there would be no way to explain the expression on Mordred's face while she is wearing her armor, a restriction I truly desired to get rid of for the sake of the narrative. While the "Secret of Pedigree" ability works in Fate/Apocrypha, it is partially because of the third person omniscient narrator. In a translation I read, during a battle it was said that while Mordred had her helmet on, "Unconsciously, [Mordred]'s cheeks drew into a grin". I can't say that in my story due to Shirou's point of view, so while it was fortunate that I could make a good in-universe explanation for why she doesn't have "Secret of Pedigree", I honestly would have justified taking it away from her one way or another.

One more thing, Taiga will not be in this story because I don't want to write about a minor character that I find incredibly irritating. In fact, don't think it's even worth the effort to make up an explanation on why she isn't around, so she will be "Lady Not-Appearing-In-This-Story".

Let me know what you think, I'd like to hear some feedback on my writing style before things start to get serious.


	2. Falchion Vs Berserker

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Fate/Apocrypha**

**NOTE: Mordred will be referred to as Falchion. Arturia will be referred to as Saber.**

* * *

Falchion and I waited in the middle of the empty road, illuminated by the street lights, waiting for our opponent's approach. It's a subtle stalling tactic, as I'm waiting for Saber to come and join us.

"Hey, were you waiting for me?"

A young girl in a purple coat, with white hair and red eyes, walked into the road from an intersection along with a giant Servant that is twice her size. Analyzing the large jagged axe-sword that the giant carries yields little result for the identity of the Servant, as it's just a sharp hunk of rock that doesn't belong to anyone, but from the feeling of madness I get from it I know that the Servant is definitely-

"Berserker." I whisper to Falchion. Her face began to twist into wild smile at this news, and she brought out the invisible Rhongomyniad in its sword form, judging from her stance.

I decide to take a quick glimpse through Saber's eyes to see what is taking her so long to get to me, and I see that she's battling a purple swordsman wielding an oversized katana. I'll worry about it later; I can't distract Saber during her fight.

"Good evening, Onii-chan." The girl said with an innocent smile.

…Now that I think about it, I remember finding out during my attempts at anonymously researching the Holy Grail War that Einzbern homunculi are known to be albinos. This girl would fit that description well, so it would be best to confirm. At worst, I'd offend her for guessing her family name wrong, and I don't really think I can negotiate out of this regardless.

"Good evening, Einzbern. My first name is Shirou and my family name is Emiya." I politely reply.

The girl blinks, before giving a playful laugh and curtsied.

"I am Ilya. Illyasviel von Einzbern. Now I'll kill you. Go ahead, Berserker." She stated in a melodic tone.

"▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

* * *

The two Servants rushed at each other and over 40 meters in an instant, and their first clash shattered the ground around them. Every exchange between the two caused a loud explosion as Falchion's prana bursts collided with Berserker's hurricane strikes, yet neither combatant was able to force the other budge an inch.

I could tell that the Berserker surpassed Falchion in raw power, but it appears that it won't be the only determining factor in this fight, as Falchion seems to hold a clear edge over the monster as she dodges, parries, or blocks every attack. But defending is all Falchion can do, as Berserker's range is too long for her to get close to attack. The spear form of Rhongomyniad could possibly compensate for the range disadvantage, but due to torque Berserker could easily knock aside Falchion's attacks if she attempted it. Essentially, it's a stalemate with no end in sight, so it's time to make an opening.

"I have forged over a thousand swords." I chant as I prepare myself to use my materialization gauntlets. A small amount of prana poured into them is enough to bring forth six dao between the fingers of my hands. I crossed my arms and strengthened them with reinforcement, then whipped them around to throw all six swords at Berserker at hundreds of kilometers per hour. Each one passes over Falchion and hits Berserker in his chest, neck, or head…And bounce off harmlessly, as it seems it wasn't even good enough for a distraction. So much for the month of training, I guess.

No, there is something I can do. There's always the strategy of killing the Master in order to avoid dealing with the Servant…But Ilya might be the vessel of the Holy Grail. The idea of just ending the Holy Grail War here and now by killing Ilya and keeping Saber and Falchion around sounds…wrong, actually. I did promise Saber the Holy Grail, and she might just find out given my tendency to project my thoughts, and while I'm sure I could use a command seal to order Falchion to defend me, I'm not sure if using another would be enough to keep her in line, or even if I could bring myself to do such a thing against her will. In addition, I don't want to kill Ilya just because she's my enemy in this war, and I don't know if Falchion would take offense to me cheapening her victory against Berserker.

Suddenly, I felt an increase in the amount of heat my circuits were producing, which snapped me out of my thoughts and back onto the battle.

"Berserker! What are you doing? Break her already!" Shouted Ilya, as her red command spell started to glow all over her body.

"▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

I realize it now. Berserker didn't have the benefits of Mad Enhancement before, so he was being held back. I can feel the change in the air as the giant's strength, endurance, agility, mana, and luck all have increased by a rank, putting Falchion on the defense. With renewed vigor, Berserker knocked Rhongomyniad out of Falchion's hands with a mighty swing, sending it flying into a building. Berserker then launched an overhead strike seeking to cut Falchion in half, but the attack is blocked by a decorated silver sword that Falchion had brought out.

It was Clarent, a sword of peace meant for knighting and ceremonies which was stolen by Mordred and used to kill King Arthur.

"Hah! Is that all, Master of Berserker?" Falchion spoke up for the first time in the battle, and smashed aside Berserker's sword, briefly sending him reeling. A smile of cruelty crossed her face as she then mercilessly pressed her attack.

"No…You're strong, Berserker! How can she be stronger?!" Ilya cried out in frustration.

My circuits continued to burn even hotter, and I could see their green glow on my own body. I realized that Falchion was also holding back before, and was now taking advantage of my ability to supply her with power.

When I initially looked Falchion's parameters, I saw that her strength and mana were A+, and her prana burst was B+. The important things to know are that the '+' means that there is a possibility of the ability or parameter to be boosted if certain conditions are met, and that a single plus indicates that its power can be doubled. For Falchion's strength to be doubled, the prana burst must be doubled. For the prana burst to be doubled, the mana must be doubled. For the mana to be doubled, Falchion must wield Clarent.

Falchion had effectively doubled her strength by letting go of Rhongomyniad and drawing Clarent, while Berserker could only match her strength under rare circumstances. Yet, why did I feel unease?

I saw it, and I understood. It was only a little, but blood was dripping out of Falchion's ginning mouth. Her effectively C-Ranked Battle Continuation may be allowing her to ignore it, but now I recognized the problem. While the conditions that allow Falchion to double her strength, mana, and prana burst are not strict, they do have a cost; Falchion's body can not handle this kind of power without damaging itself.

I try to see how my prana is flowing throughout her body, and I can guess where she's suffered internal damage, so I focus on putting my prana there to manage it, allowing her natural regeneration powers to heal the damage. It seems to work, as-

A single prana burst undoes my work. I fix it again, but an exchange of blows between the two Servants breaks something else. I force myself to increase the amount of power I'm providing to Falchion, but it can't seem to keep up with the damage she is inflicting on herself.

Falchion is now tearing into Berserker, seemingly killing him again and again as she is covered in the monster's blood, but it takes everything I have to help heal her breaking bones, her snapping tendons, her torn muscles-

I collapsed head first onto to the hard concrete of the road. Why? Was I attacked?

No…I'm dead. I used magic beyond my capacity. My circuits produced too much heat for me to handle, and my organs have started to liquefy as I feel my boiling blood flowing out of me.

The next thing I see is Falchion smashing into the concrete in front of me, lying on her back with a deep gash in her stomach. She's still alive, but the internal damage must have finally caught up to her, as she is looking at me, trying to say something, but can do nothing but breathe heavily and cough out her own blood as it splatters into my own pool of it.

…I could have saved Falchion, but I failed.

I would not have survived this battle, but Falchion might have been able to make a contract with Ilya afterwards if she had killed Berserker. If I had lasted a bit longer, or didn't stop to reflect how damaged I was, I could have kept her fighting long enough to win.

"Berserker! That Servant will get a second wind if we kill her…So…Her Master's going to die anyways…So let's just go home…NOW!" Ilya screamed in frustration at her Servant.

I couldn't see Ilya leaving…I can't see anything at all anymore. I can only feel the tremendous heat leaving my body, giving away to the encroaching cold as my mind goes numb…

* * *

Servant Class: Berserker

Master: Illyasviel von Einzbern

True Name: Hercules (Well, you guys should know his name even if Shirou doesn't)

Sex: Male

Height / Weight: 253cm / 311kg

Alignment: Chaotic Mad

Strength: A+

Endurance: A

Agility: A

Mana: A

Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: B

Class Skills:

Mad Enhancement: B

Personal skills:

Battle Continuation: A

Bravery: A+

Divinity: A

Eye of the Mind (Fake): B

Noble Phantasms:

God Hand: (Anti-Unit) B

* * *

**Author's notes:** Yes, I just killed Shirou.

Don't worry. If there's one thing **any** Shirou would be good at, it is not dying when he is killed.

Before anyone asks, I know Assassin is bound to the mountain at Ryuudouji Temple in the original visual novel, but things are going differently this time around. Despite Shirou attempting to remain as low-key as his canon counterpart, he has unintentionally set some things into motion.

Shintouyu – Many thanks for the informative review, one of my biggest worries was if I got Mordred's personality right or not.

As for how Mordred acts right after she is summoned, I think it is justifiable considering that she was summoned to fight other Servants, like the one she just spotted after her summoning, and she would probably consider defeating Arturia as a way of impressing her and/or a way to prove to others that she has what it takes to become a king. After the situation is explained and there is time for hostilities to settle down, I think she would take a different attitude towards the situation. (Do note that this is my opinion on what happened, not an explanation, and is subject to change)

For the memory problems, to be honest I was inspired to do this by the memory problems that canon-Shirou had during the Heaven's Feel route in the visual novel. It is a method to focus the story away from the slice-of-life and more towards the Holy Grail War, and it also changes the way Shirou views his magic. Canon-Shirou wanted to learn magic so he could be come a superhero, this Shirou _needed_ to learn magic in order to function properly…Well, more properly that an amnesiac at least.

The low stats for Arturia compared to Mordred will be explained later on, but I did mention that Shirou summoned Mordred in England for a legend bonus, and that he screwed up when he initially summoned Arturia.

Azonic George – While Falchion could fit into the Lancer class, keep in mind that this Rhongomyniad is more like a sword with a really long grip than a proper spear, and it can switch from a spear to a 'sword' form by dematerializing most of the grip. In addition, Falchion's primary Noble Phantasm is still Clarent, so I feel justified in keeping her in the Saber class.

**Edit:** BlackWarth – The approach Shirou used to analyze Berserker's axe-sword is not up to the level where he can figure out everything about a weapon by analyzing it. Shirou could figure out the axe-sword's name if it had one, and if Berserker had coherent thoughts he might be able read some of them from the weapon, but since neither is the case he can't figure out Berserker's identity, let alone Nine Lives.

Granted, Shirou did figure out a lot about Rhongomyniad when he first saw it, but that was when he was going over what the weapon could do. Shirou couldn't even figure out the identity of his own summoned Servant based on the spear until Arturia spelled it out to him.


	3. Recovery & Resolve

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Fate/Apocrypha**

**NOTE: Mordred will be referred to as Falchion. Arturia will be referred to as Saber. This naming scheme was made in order to hide their true identities from enemies.**

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I found that I was inside my own room. As usual, I check my penny knife for memories to see if I missed any-

It's not on me. **Why do I not have a knife on me?!**

I hurriedly run over to the desk in my room and rip the drawer right out of it, spilling its contents on the floor, and of the penny knives that fell out I grab one with each hand.

"Hah, hah, hah…"

I try to control my breathing in an attempt to calm down. Now, why did I not have a knife on me?

I feel the taste of blood in my mouth, and I remember the fight I had with Berserker last night. I quickly check my right hand, and see that I still have my command seals, which means that Falchion is still alive. It is humiliating that the only reason we got out of that battle alive is because our opponent left us for dead, and it is a disadvantage because I am sure that they will make sure that I am dead next time we fight. Still, humiliation is good for curbing excessive pride and I would rather take a disadvantage if the alternative is death.

Wait, how did I survive? I'm pretty sure that the damage done to my body would have killed me ten times over; and even with my accelerated healing it shouldn't have been enough…I may have been hallucinating due to the pressure, and regardless I'm sure that this isn't something that I can figure out on my own, so I'll worry about it later.

After cleaning up my room and changing into my protective clothing, I walked into the living room and found Saber waiting at the table while Sakura was already making breakfast. Saber looked at me in shock, and then gave a downcast expression.

Sakura came over with omelets and gave me a bright smile. "Good morning, Senpai. Saber-san told me you weren't feeling well before, but I'm glad to see you're doing alright now."

Sakura…While I can be a good chef, sometimes my memory problems act up while cooking so the quality of my food can be inconsistent whenever I forget what I'm doing. It's great to have someone like Sakura over who can reliably cook well, and it works out for the both of us; I pay for all the food and ingredients, and she gets a free meal provided she does the cooking…Not that I would deny her a meal if she didn't cook…

Another good thing about Sakura is that she has a purely platonic relationship with me, and will not try to make a move on me. Sure, I have the feeling that she is attracted to me, and I do find her looks to be appealing, but in the end we have an unspoken agreement that we will not pursue a romantic relationship. It's definitely for the best, as for whatever reason I always feel that if a woman is trying to seduce me, then they have an ulterior motive for doing so, and my memory problems would probably make any relationship I have difficult.

I started eating my omelet and take a moment to savor the-

* * *

I found myself with Saber as we are both sitting in the in the dojo.

…Well, at least I had a moment to even taste my food before my time skipped again. Darn it, why do I rarely have first hand experience in the simple joys in life?

Checking my penny knife for memories, I see that once again I didn't miss anything important, and that was going to discuss-

"Saber, can you tell me about the opponent you fought last night? You know, the blue-haired samurai with the purple kimono with the oversized katana?" I asked.

Saber gave a confused expression. "The Servant I fought was…strange, to say the least. I initially believed that he was just as you described, but I soon realized that he was just a remarkably well crafted puppet in the shape of a human. He had no eyelids, the expression on his face never changed and he did not breathe or speak."

Saber straightened her posture as she looked at me. "The reason I did fight him instead of heading straight to you was because he was an Assassin, a type of Servant that are specialized in killing masters but are weaker in combat. If he had followed me to you, then he might have killed you, so I decided to take him down beforehand."

"How did you know he was an Assassin?" I asked.

Saber frowned and looked to the side. "He had…a paper that was stuck to his clothing that read: Servant Assassin - Sasaki Kojirou."

…Paper stuck to his clothing…A sticker? Why would he do that? Was it an attempt to get Saber to reveal her identity to him?

At least the Servant status screen doesn't lie. Assassin really is Sasaki Kojirou, for whatever reason.

Saber regained her composure and continued to explain. "While I was able to force him to be on the defense, he soon took advantage of his puppet status to employ an unusual strategy of spinning the wrist of the arm that was holding his longsword until it was acted like a...shield of some sort that would deflect all of my attacks. I was not able to counter this tactic by attacking the fingers that were gripping his sword, as he would always react and move them just out of the way as if taunting me, and every time I broke his sword, a new blade would materialize in its place. I decided not use my Noble Phantasm to just end him since I had no reason to believe that you were in serious danger, and eventually our battle ended when he suddenly disappeared."

Saber then began to glare at me. "Now, tell me Master, why was I not informed that you needed my help immediately? It would have been an acceptable sacrifice to use my Noble Phantasm to eliminate Assassin and be able to provide assistance to your battle in time."

"I didn't want to distract you while you were in combat…And I was so focused on Falchion's fight that I didn't think to give you updates on the situation until it was too late." I explained weakly. "I won't have either of you two separated from me again while on patrol, though, I've learned my lesson."

"That is an acceptable concession, but we will discuss your lack of aptitude in strategizing later." Saber said with a smile that made me uncomfortable. "For now, how is Falchion doing? I did not see her when I came to your location after I dealt with Assassin."

"…Well, I know Falchion is still getting prana from me, but I haven't seen her at all today. She is probably still recovering from the battle in spirit form, so I'll let you know when she contacts me."

"I see. So, Master, since you seem to be well enough to be moving up and around, allow me to help you refine your swordsmanship so you may be better prepared for your next battle." Saber suggested while beaming.

This…Is going to hurt even more than usual…

* * *

After recovering from the 'training' with Saber, as I left the dojo I spotted Falchion sitting in the corridor outside, sitting down with her arms crossed, eyes closed and a stern look on her face.

"Hey, Falchion, are you feeling better?" I ask as I head towards her.

Falchion turned to look at me, and her expression worsened as she started pointing to a spot next to her, so I decided to sit down at her side.

"While my major injuries have healed, I am certainly not feeling better. Master, why are you so pathetic?" Falchion asked in a disgruntled manner. "My father will not be able to quickly defeat Assassin without the use of her Noble Phantasm, so that means that he is so weakened that even though he belongs to the strongest class, Saber, he could not defeat a Servant that specializes in killing Masters! Also, Servants of the Berserker class are weak heroes that have been strengthened at a cost of their sanity, and cannot be controlled without expending large amounts of energy, yet that little girl…Ilya, was able to easily power and control that Servant, so that means that the Servant we fought must had been truly puny person! Therefore, if the legendary King of Knights and his true successor could not deal with these two weak Servants, **then the problem must obviously be you!**"

Falchion is looking out into the yard and her eyes are glinting with her intent to kill. Somehow, I don't feel threatened, despite what she's accusing me of, as I can sense that her anger is not being directed at me, but what I am guessing is the situation we are in. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but Falchion also isn't admitting our defeat, just that 'we fought' and 'could not deal with' Berserker.

"What do you want, Falchion?" I ask. "Do you want to contract with a different Master?"

Falchion blinked, shook her head, then placed her elbows on her legs and leaned over to hold her head in her hands. A few minutes passed…But it felt like an eternity before she turned to me and said with happiness in her voice. "It seems you know your place, if you are desperate to do what I want, and that is all I need from you at the moment." Falchion stood up and clenched her fist. "Just leave everything to me, Master!"

In other words, don't worry about it, I'll figure something out. That's fair advice, moping about the situation isn't going to fix it.

"Alright, but we're going to take it easy for a while. I've noticed that most of the recovery that you've undergone was the result of a quick hack job, so we're going to wait a day for you to properly heal." I reply.

"Master! I am perfectly fine!" Falchion protested.

No, you're abusing your Battle Continuation to ignore your injuries, but if you're going to insist that you are okay…

"Alright, but I'll need some time to recover before I'm back up to full again, especially after the beating that Saber gave me." I explained.

"T-take the time you need, I do not want a repeat of…w-what happened to you yesterday." Falchion stuttered out for some reason as she turned to leave.

"All right, I will." I replied before heading off to make lunch.

* * *

The rest of the day was a fairly normal affair, with eating lunch, discussing strategy, enjoying the dinner Sakura cooked, and then escorting Sakura home along with Saber and Falchion. Falchion followed the three of us out of sight, and while I'm beginning to think that she might have a grudge of some sort against Sakura, I'm not terribly worried about it.

I am a bit concerned though that Falchion isn't coming into my room and demanding to sleep in my bed again…But it's not like I'm going to ask her to do that. Now, I can just lie down in my bed and not concern myself with-

* * *

…Okay, I am **very concerned. **

Typically whenever my sense of time skips, it is usually over a period of time where nothing important happens. As an example, I should not have forgotten **traveling to Ryudou Temple to come face to face with an enemy Servant!**

**…IN MY PAJAMAS, NO LESS!**

The Servant in front of me looks like a witch from a fairy tail, wearing a hooded bluish-purple robe, so her identity should be obvious. "Caster…"

"Yes, that's correct, faker. Welcome to my temple, Master of Saber." Caster mocked.

I tried moving my body, but it won't budge. It seems that while I am in control, it feels like her magic is restraining me. I tried to look inside my body to see the problem, but all I'm getting back from my supernatural senses is static. It's like I never could use magic in the first place. "What…did…you…do?"

"I could explain, but I think in your case that ignorance is bliss. After all, you seem to have gotten quite far without knowing what is impossible, even if you are unimaginative." Caster laughed as she pulled out a jagged and iridescent dagger.

...It's dangerous. I don't know how considering my lack of magic at the moment, but I know its name is Rule Breaker, a weapon that belongs to Medea, and it can break contracts.

And Caster then stabbed me in my left shoulder, as I felt some link break away from me. It wasn't my contract to Falchion, and I know that she couldn't break Saber's 'contract', so what did she do?

"…As I expected, the Grail made that connection to you due to your trait, rather than you made that connection to it to gain that trait." Caster thought out loud. "Regardless, with this I will be able to-"

A wind slashes Caster in half and then makes a cut on the ground, as Falchion lands in front of me. "Master, that should have freed you from her spell, are you alright?"

Damn it, I bet Caster was going to start gloating about her evil plan! Could you have waited just a bit longer?

…On second thought, better early than late.

Looking ahead, I can see that it was just her robe that was cut, so that attack didn't even hit her. Since I still can't use any of my magic right now for whatever reason, leaving me a sitting duck, and I am not letting Falchion fight her when Caster might server her contract, I made my decision. "No. I am ordering the retreat."

"Master, Saber is dealing with Assassin on the steps to the temple and will join us soon, and I can-"

"Follow me!" I interjected, as I turned around and started running out of the temple. The sound of metal shoes striking the stone behind me means that Falchion is at least following my request.

Then, I suddenly froze after I heard strange unpronounceable words from Caster. "Where do you think-"

Falchion suddenly crashed into me, and I had a very painful ride rolling down and crashing between the concrete steps and Falchion's metal armor, as well as nearly getting killed by getting in-between the fight that Saber and Assassin were in.

"I-OW Hate-ARGH This-GAH WAR!" I complained to no one in particular.

After we finally stopped bouncing down the stairs, Falchion scrambled off of me. Saber in the meantime had disengaged from her battle and came over to lift up and support me.

"…Falchion, let us withdraw for now." Saber reluctantly suggested.

"…Fine. We will come back tomorrow after we have made preparations and defeat those two Servants!" Falchion stated with conviction.

"Uuurrrggghhh…" I groaned. I know that I should be thankful for once again narrowly escaping death, but this is getting ridiculous…and painful. Very, very painful.

* * *

**OMAKE**

The real reason Saber was delayed from helping Shirou in the Falchion versus Berserker fight

Saber was staring upward with her mouth agape. Assassin was flying through the sky, using his sword as an improvised helicopter blade, to chase after a swallow.

She then concluded that her Master must have decided to experiment with hallucinogens on her to find out if they would be effective against Servants, as there was no other explanation she could think of for what she is seeing. She continued watching for several minutes before she remembered that she needed to do something, and another few to remember exactly what it was.

* * *

**Servant Stats**

Servant Class: Assassin

Master: ?

True Name: Sasaki Kojirou

Sex: Male (Well, he's based off of a fictional male hero, so he's just a man in a puppet's body.)

Height / Weight: 176cm / 65kg

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Strength: C

Endurance: D

Agility: A+

Mana: D

Luck: A

Noble Phantasm: ?

Class Skills:

Presence Concealment: D

Personal Skills:

Independent Action: C

Eye of the Mind (Fake): A

Knowledge of Respect and Harmony: B

Vitrification: -

Noble Phantasm:

Tsubame Gaeshi: (Anti-Unit) N/A

* * *

Servant Class: Caster

Master: ?

True Name: Medea

Sex: Female

Height / Weight: 163cm / 51kg

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Strength: E

Endurance: D

Agility: C

Mana: A+

Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: C

Class Skills:

Item Construction: A

Territory Creation: A

Personal Skills:

High-Speed Divine Words: A

Noble Phantasm:

Rule Breaker: (Anti-Unit) C

Golden Fleece: (N/A) EX

* * *

**Author's notes:** Another short chapter, as I don't feel the need to make huge chapters that end in cliffhangers. Yet. Muhahah.

Saber Vs Assassin has been covered well enough in the original visual novel in my opinion, so while I'm sorry if I skipped over their battles, there really isn't anything new I want to add, even with his new puppet state and ability.

And yes, Falchion has come to the wrong conclusion on her and Saber's relative strength compared to other Servants. After all, "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong."

By the way, in case I never get to explain, Saber and Falchion are referring to Shirou as 'Master' mostly because Shirou feels that they can call him by whatever name they want. It's just a minor detail, but the subject might not come up in the story.

**Constructive criticism helps my writing, so please review!**

**EDIT: **Shintouyu - I've made a small addition based on your recommendation, so thanks again.


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